Another Side: Roxas' Story
by chaostheorite
Summary: My take on how Roxas joined the Organization. Rating upped to M for possible coarse language.
1. Birth of a Nobody

This is the revamped version of my first Fanfic story about how Roxas came to the Organization. The first chapter is actually more of an intro, but I put a lot more into it than the last version. Enjoy, and whether you hate it, love it, or have even a slight feeling of interest please review and tell me what you think! Once again, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I place no claim to ownership of characters, symbols, or any other of Disney or Square's property.

///////////////////////////////////////////////

"A Keyblade that can unlock people's hearts; I wonder…" Sora picked up Riku's dark weapon by the handle, holding it up to inspect it.

"Sora?" Donald looked at the teenager skeptically. He knew that the boy couldn't be considering using the Keyblade for himself. Riku's words rang in the magician's head again:

_"Kairi's heart rests within you!"_ Sora shot his allies one last cornball smile. He turned the dark Keyblade around, holding the point toward his chest. He hesitated only for a second, and then plunged the blade into his heart. Sora's hands fell to his side as Kairi's heart drifted out of his chest and back into the seventh Princess of Heart. The Keyblade floated away from Sora before breaking apart under the force of light in Kairi's heart. The broken weapon separated into the six captive hearts that formed it, and they floated back to the Princesses, one by one.

"SORA!" Donald and Goofy ran toward the Keyblade wielder, and Kairi awoke in time to see Sora disappear into darkness. She stared upward, hands outstretched; waiting for some sign that he would come back.

//////////////////////////////////////////////

Sora fell into the darkness. He floated through the endless dark, alone, until his heart could bear no more. He raced back toward the light, against the pull of darkness. He tried so hard to reach the light that his heart tore free of him, leaving his body and soul in between light and dark. His heart returned to the light, and that light created a physical being out of the connection that he and Kairi shared, and as she held him he became real again. But his body and soul stayed in limbo, lost betwixt light and dark, forsaken by both. He had lost his heart, his memories, his emotions; all that he loved meant nothing to this new persona. As he drifted through the Plain of Naught, on the edge of nothingness, he tried to remember who he was, but his image of himself did not come. He concentrated on his name: He could visualize the letters, but they were out of order, they made no sense. It annoyed him that he could not think of his own name. He would know if only he were not in this empty nothingness! Nothingness; as if all existence had been crossed out. X-ed out…

That was it-an x was missing. His name: R…o…Roxas….Roxas…


	2. The Keyblade's Chosen One

Alright, I'm in writing mode now, so this chapter just flew together. Thanks to all my readers for giving me a reason to post my stories! I'd also like to give a big thanks to kit572 for the review of the new first chapter, as well as taru taru animegal and sailor winx, both of whom reviewed the original draft. Thank you all very much and I hope you enjoy chapter two.

Disclaimer: I place no claim to ownership of characters, symbols, or any other of Disney or Square's property.

///////////////////////////////////////////////

**Another Side: Roxas' Story**

///////////////////////////////////////////////////

Roxas was suddenly self-aware: he knew his name, and it gave him a feeling that he knew himself. Before he had a chance to truly appreciate the discovery he had just made, he felt it; a pain that seemed to pull at every part of his body. He floated in the complete nothingness, his form racked with pain, his body shriveling and twisting into the shape of a silver humanoid. The top of his head was flat and circular. His elongated fingers were bundled together and he continued to lose his sense of identity. He didn't know what was happening, but he knew that it could not be good.

_"Should I be afraid?"_ He thought to himself, _"Why aren't I afraid? Angry? I don't feel anything! But it still hurts…No! I won't be pushed around like this! __**I **__decide my fate!" _Roxas fought against the pull of nothingness. He fought his way through, pushing past the barrier that separates nothingness from the realms of light and dark. Finally, he broke through, coming to rest in a city of a strange new world. His body reformed into a human shape. A puddle on the asphalt showed his reflection. He couldn't remember his old life, what he looked like, but the reflection seemed odd. Didn't his hair used to be longer? And darker, too? And his face looked slightly different. His eyes, while the same shade of blue that they were before his memory went blank, looked different. They were sad, lonely eyes. The eyes of someone with no feeling, no remorse, and no regrets. These were the eyes of someone who had been to the edge of existence, where nothingness is made real. He did not know it, but these were the eyes of a Nobody.

Roxas inspected his clothes in the aqueous mirror. He had green pants with cream-colored fabric covering the legs and a green shirt with a vest of the same off-white color accented with strips of black and white checker patterns. His tight bracelet had the same pattern and he was wearing black and white bands on his fingers. He touched the zipper on his shirt-a heavy four-point star symbol. It looked cool. He looked down at his new shoes (_Are they new? Did I have these clothes before?_). They were black with orange stripes on them. That is how, after several minutes of deliberation, he decided that whoever he used to be, he was one cool guy now. He looked away from himself and toward the city. It was dark, and it looked almost like the ground was rolling. Roxas looked closer and saw that hundreds of dim yellow eyes were glaring back at him. The creatures in the darkness were confused. They looked aggressive, but it was obvious that whatever they usually attacked for he didn't have.

_"What do they want?" I don't have any food. What if they want to eat me?"_ Roxas looked at the closer ones, feeling stupid for thinking that these small things could eat him. _"They can't eat me, they don't have mouths. Just big, round heads. They do have sharp claws, though." _He looked at the creatures' hands. They didn't move. It seemed like they were as confused as he was. _"Well, whatever it is they want, I must not have it."_ He had a sudden idea. He was alone, and there was one sure way to get what he wanted, whenever he found out exactly what it was. He couldn't feel any emotion, and he thought that that should make him angry-it didn't, but it should have. So to test his strength and blow off some nonexistent steam, he walked up to the nearest creature and as it tried to shy away, he stepped on it, crushing it under his foot. He hoped that this would make the other creatures run in fear, but his foot hit the pavement as the dark being melted into the ground and popped up several feet away and resumed calmly staring at the boy. He hated these creatures. That was as close as he got to a true emotion, but his hatred was a state of mind, and a poor substitute for true feeling. Realizing all of this annoyed Roxas, and his hatred welled up in him until he could almost feel the anger.

A million miles away, that hatred pulled at Sora's heart as he made his way toward his final confrontation at Hollow Bastion. Sora's heart was tainted by Roxas' recklessness, but it allowed Roxas to use dark powers that most Nobodies could never match. All of the feelings that Roxas had been trying to steal from Sora from across the stars and worlds between them manifested itself in a wisp of dark energy that evaporated in Roxas' hand. Unsure of what it would accomplish, Roxas again walked up to one of the shadowy figures. He grabbed its bulbous head before it could escape. He stared at its bright yellow eyes and cursed its existence, for somewhere in him he knew that this gaunt shade of darkness held a true existence, and therefore was worth more than he could ever be.

"Die, you little shadow freak!" Had he possessed a heart, Roxas would've been shocked when his hand glowed black and purple, and the small creature evaporated with a horrible screech. All that was left of it was a dark vapor that rose from Roxas' hand. He turned toward the mass of dark bodies. They had seen his display of dark power and were agitated. These creatures didn't have the ability to process the thought of whether Roxas was good or evil, but he was obviously strong.

"The Heartless will attack, and test whether they should follow or destroy you."

Roxas turned, looking for the source of the voice. A man in a long, dark coat with the hood pulled up stood on a low balcony nearby.

"So?" Roxas yelled defiantly, "What are you gonna do?"

"Nothing." The dark form held its ground. "We shall see if you are worth my time." The voice chilled Roxas and made him uncomfortable. The voice was hollow, devoid of emotion.

"Fine, when I wipe them all out, I'll take you down, too!" Roxas leapt at the man, dark energy gathering around his hands. At the same time, dozens of Heartless leapt in the air toward the two.

"So you think." The man drew a long blue lance from out of nowhere, pointing it at Roxas. Five other lances floated about on cushions of air, destroying any Shadows that came near the man. Roxas cursed himself for getting into this situation, and reached into himself for the deepest well of dark power in him. Again, he connected to Sora's heart. Sora's heart was drained of all the darkness in it, becoming as light and pure as the princesses', and by doing this Roxas cut himself from all contact with his old persona. As the darkness rushed to Roxas, he heard a loud ringing in his ears. He felt like his head was about to explode. He dropped on the ground next to the black-cloaked man, his hands pressed firmly against his temples. He saw flashes of memories out of the darkness. A small, messy bedroom with an antique ship hanging from the ceiling, and island edged by white sand, the interior full of coves carved into a large stone hillside blanketed with vegetation. And he saw it all destroyed by the darkness. He heard the Voice of Memories whisper in his ear, Keyblade…Keyblade…

"You cannot withstand the darkness. You are not worthy of my attention." The darkly-garbed man raised his lance to finish the boy off. Suddenly, the ringing stopped, and the pain in Roxas' head abated. Roxas reacted to the attack with lightning speed, absorbing the blow with his Keyblade. He stared down at the weapon. He knew how to use it instinctively. As he looked down the metal blade to the handle, he heard the Voice again whisper to him, Kingdom Key…

The appearance of the Keyblade startled the man, whose hood fell to reveal a rough-hewn face and long, dark hair that flowed seamlessly from the long locks over his back to the neatly trimmed hair on his cheeks. The man summoned his lances to him, using them to launch himself away on a cushion of air into a dark portal.

"I must tell the Superior" was all that Roxas could make of what the man mumbled as he fled. Roxas glared at the dark figure as it disappeared. The Heartless all around him were surprised and afraid of this new development, and attacked the new Keyblade wielder with renewed zeal. Roxas felt the pain in his head again as memories surged back. He saw a young man with silver hair and brilliant aquamarine eyes. He saw a girl with short red hair. She was beautiful. He tried to think of their names, but when he closed his eyes the only thing he could hear before all of Sora's memories left him all alone again were two words:

Oblivion…

Oathkeeper…

Roxas opened his eyes, the two Keblades a black and silver flash in his hands.

The Heartless didn't stand a chance.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////

Oh, I do so love a good cliffhanger, don't you? No? Well, just leave a review and let me know, then. All reviews are welcome! I hope you enjoyed this chappie and I'll get o the next one as soon as I can!


	3. A Dark Plot Emerges

Hello again to all of my readers! Welcome to chapter three! I would once again like to thank you all for reading, as well as send a special thank you to kit572 and Jayrin Paige for reviewing on chapter two. I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm just sorry it took so long. Oh well… Enjoy!

Note: from here on, the Kingdom Hearts canon and storyline will be followed loosely in this story, but not exactly.

Disclaimer: I created the original storyline but all characters and symbols belong to Disney or Square.

///////////////////////////////////////////////

The Whirlwind Lancer emerged from the dark corridor into a large anteroom at the end of a long hallway. Another darkly garbed man was leaning against the wall near the door to the antechamber.

"Where is he?" Xaldin demanded. The other man stepped away from the wall.

"Where is who? Ya mean Saïx? Or the crazy dude with the beakers? Or the…"

"You know full well who I mean, Number II: Where is the Superior?!"

"Oh," the Sharpshooter started, feigning ignorance. "He's in his 'private study.' He's always hanging out back there. Just the other day…Hey! Rude, dude!" Xigbar acted offended as Xaldin shoved past him. Suddenly, the Nobody hesitated.

"Wait-why were you out here when…never mind." Xaldin cut the idea short upon seeing Xigbar's facial expression. There were no answers to be had there. Xaldin knocked loudly on the door. The entire antechamber rang with the echoes of his fist pounding the door. A few seconds later, a dark portal opened and another man clad in a black robe stepped out. He was taller and brawnier than the other two. His cold silence told Xaldin to state his purpose.

"Sir, I discovered a Keyblade master in sector 13!"

"In the Dark City?" Xigbar interrupted, "He's _here_?" Xaldin simply nodded, not looking away from the Organization's Number I.

"Interesting…I have received a report that one of the warriors of the Keyblade was turned into a Heartless not two hours ago." The Superior's speech was deep, intimidating, and completely controlled.

"From the look of him he _was_ a Nobody." Xaldin waited to see what the leader's reaction would be. Suddenly, the Organization's Number VII appeared from a dark portal next to the Superior.

"Xemnas, the boy is on the move. He has destroyed many of the Heartless in the city. We're working on collecting the hearts now."

"Very good. Allow me to…arrange a meeting with this boy." Xemnas turned and walked down the hallway.

"Wait, so he already knew?" Xaldin turned to Saïx and Xigbar. Saïx simply walked toward a blank wall and into a dark portal that snapped shut behind him. Xigbar laughed.

"Haha! Well, this is the Boss' world. Those two know everything that happens around here. And just about anywhere else." He added.

"I don't suppose you'll be the one arranging the meeting?" Xaldin almost lip-synched the answer as Xigbar walked out of the room, making a backward hand gesture over his shoulder.

"Chea-as if!"

///////////////////////////////////////////////

Roxas continued fighting the dark enemies. He hacked through the mass of opaque creatures, but every time one was cut down, another stepped in to replace it. The young Nobody was beginning to think that the tide would never wane and that he would either battle forever or succumb to the Heartless. There had to be some way to escape…

///////////////////////////////////////////////

Saïx and the Superior stood on one of the many castle balconies overlooking the domain of the nonexistent rulers. They watched as the boy fought through the endless horde. He stabbed and slashed, but it was only a matter of time before he was overcome.

"Go," Number One commanded, "relieve him from his battle."

"Where should we take him?"

"Let him choose his own fate."

"You will pursue?"

"…"

"I see. The dark corridors?"

"Indeed. He will find his way out." The Superior's voice had a sense of finality. The azure-haired Nobody disappeared into a dark portal. The other watched and waited. He saw the Dusks rush the Heartless surrounding the boy. He saw another dark portal appear, and the boy edge foreword toward it. Then, he saw Saïx deftly shove the boy into the Realm of Darkness. As he vanished into his own dark portal, Xemnas knew that a powerful new weapon was about to become his. All too easy.

///////////////////////////////////////////////

"If I catch that rotten bastard...!" Roxas fumed as he tried to see in the new and unfamiliar Darkness. This lack of light seemed so extreme…so _complete_. There wasn't a single sliver of light to be seen. That Darkness seemed to sap what few memories he had. Roxas' Keyblades vanished as he willed them to sheath themselves.

_Neat trick, _Roxas thought to himself.

Suddenly, as Roxas adjusted to the dim surroundings, he was aware of the sheer size of the area. He was alone on a vast ethereal plane that seemed to stretch on forever. Half-open portals littered the plane, and he could see glimpses of other worlds through those openings. He wandered for a long time among the many gateways. After a time he stumbled upon a portal showing the image of a small town. A large train station with a tall tower set the foreground for a stunning sunset. Something about this town spoke to his very soul. He stepped through the portal. He wound up in a strange wooded area that looked nothing like the semi-urban city depicted in the Dark Realm's porthole. As he looked about the wood, the dark forms of Heartless began appearing again, although in much fewer numbers than in the Dark City. As he watched, the silver shapes of Dusks began emerging as well. Roxas had no inkling to fight the dark forms or the silver creatures, and instead ran away toward a lighted clearing. He never saw the hooded figure appear out of its dark portal.

Before long, Roxas ran into a locked gate, guarding an abandoned mansion ominously. The Heartless arrived in short succession, with the Dusks on their heels. While the Shadows melded into the ground or simply ran after the boy, the Dusks wriggled through the air with unearthly fluidity and a complete lack of respect for gravity. The Heartless approached Roxas, settling into attack stances. The silver Nobodies, however, skipped the awkward standoff and simply obliterated the dark beings. The half dozen creatures then stood down, backing away from Roxas and bowing as a dark-robed man approached.

"Who are you?!"

"Who I am is of little importance. Do you remember who _you_ are?"

"…My name? It's…Roxas." He did not sound decisive.

The man smiled as he looked at the boy, his hood sliding slightly to reveal one striking amber eye. He waved his hand in the air and the letters S-O-R-A spun in sequence. With a flick of his wrist, an X was added, spelling out his new ward's name.

"Do you know what a Nobody is?" The man asked Roxas. The young blonde shook his head.

"Have you heard of the Organization?"

Another shake of the head.

"Come with me." The man led Roxas away, toward the darkened mansion.

"You will understand in time."

///////////////////////////////////////////////

That's it!! Chapter three complete!!! Please read and review-any criticism is appreciated!


	4. A Mission, Just For You

Hello everyone! Sorry this chapter took so long-I've been pretty busy. Also, my new KH story ReBirth is up, so check it out! *shameless self-advertising*

I don't feel like making a long-winded intro, so on to the story!!

* * *

The door to the Superior's study creaked open as a tall, slim man with fiery red hair stepped through.

"_Figures,"_ thought Axel, _"he has a brand new castle and his hinges squeak already. It's probably on purpose-for 'dramatic effect.'"_

"You wanted to see me?" Axel showed an impressive lack of respect for someone of such relatively low rank who was addressing the Organization's Number I. He even shot a sideways glance at Saïx, who stood next to his leader's chair.

This was not lost on Xemnas.

But the Nobody commander carried on as if he hadn't noticed.

"Number IIX." Xemnas started in with his slow, controlling voice. That voice saps the will of anyone who hears it. Few people could abide the Superior's voice, but Axel was one of them. If he had any emotions, he would have been proud of his ability to avoid his leader's manipulations. Of course, being a rouge member meant that he would never be a high-ranking officer, but his current position in the Organization suited him just fine anyway.

"Number IIX," he said again, still laying on his mind-numbing spell. "I have prepared a special task for you."

"Really now?" Axel paused just long enough to make sure that both of them noticed there had been a pause-not out of spite, but rather in open contempt-before he put on a more respectful air.

"I'd be proud to benefit the Organization in any way I can." _If I could feel pride, that is. _He added within his own mind. "What are your orders?"

"The Keyblade master was turned into a heartless recently. He then regenerated himself without an ethereal body. Your task is to retrieve his Nobody. I have contacted him already. I leave it to you to recruit him and deliver him here."

"I see." Axel paused again. "And what will the Superior preoccupy himself with while I retrieve the boy?" Everyone in the room knew that Xemnas must be chopping at the bit if he had visited the boy himself. And even the fact that he and Saïx, being very intimidating figures, could not be trusted to make someone eager to join freely. No, Xemnas needed someone who could make this recruit want to be a member of the Organization. He needed someone who could appeal to the boy on a personal level-someone agreeable to him. Xemnas had a tough decision to make. He had to choose someone he trusted so that he could be a good mentor and make the boy loyal to the Organization and, more importantly, its leader. Xigbar's personality tended to annoy people, Xaldin had fought the boy already so that was no good…Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion rounded out the Six Founders, but they were becoming less and less reliable, dedicated though they were. Xemnas needed Saïx here to deliver his orders to the others and was too unfriendly for recruitment. Axel's personality seemed to fit, based on the short interaction Xemnas had had with the recruit, so he was the optimum choice.

"The Superior has his own business to attend to," offered Saïx. Xemnas had been about to chide Axel for his remark, but instead sat back and smirked. He decided to show him some imitation of trust and tell Number IIX of his plans.

"I will go to the ruins of Radiant Garden and test the Keyblade master's strength." Neither of the men had expected to actually hear of his plan, much less to hear that he would fight Sora _himself_. The poor boy didn't stand a chance.

"Now go to your task," bade Xemnas. "Saïx, you are excused as well." He turned away, ending the dialogue instantly. Saïx and Axel walked out. Once the door was safely shut and out of range of their voices, Saïx started in on Axel.

"You need to show Xemnas some respect. He is our leader."

"And you're his lapdog," Axel said lucidly.

"Axel…" Saïx's voice was soft and slightly sad as usual, but he tried to make it sound sincere. "We joined the Organization together, but ever since we did you've under minded the Superior at every turn."

"And you've pandered to his every whim." He took on a mocking tone.

"Saïx," Axel started haughtily, emptying his lungs with every word in a crude imitation of Xemnas's voice. "Discipline the underlings. Saïx, retrieve my reports on the status of Kingdom Hearts. Saïx, cut my toenails and organize them by length and color. Saïx…"

"That's enough." He pretended to be annoyed. "You've changed since we came here."

"Really?" Axel stopped and turned toward Saïx. "Because I think you're the one who's different. We used to be friends. We hung out together, we fell fighting Heartless together, we became Nobodies together, and then we wound up here." He paused for a moment. "We wound up here and you started playing goody-two-shoes with Xemmy."

"Would your existence really be so much more unbearable if you showed him some respect?"

"I wouldn't know how my existence would be..." Axel turned away, talking over his shoulder. "…I haven't got one. What I do have…" He opened a dark corridor, and his words echoed out as it snapped shut behind him. "…is a job to do. _For your precious 'Superior!'"_

Saïx let out a sigh of faux exasperation and headed up the castle stairs. He felt like paying Vexen a visit. Maybe getting to mock someone else would provide some entertainment.


End file.
